所皈之境？ The Objects to Which You Go for Refuge?

 In order to learn and practice the Teaching’s of the Buddha,
we have to reply on good-knowing advisors.
We get to take the initiative to seek good-knowing advisors,
and to keep a strong resolution to seek the Dharma.
Buddha’s teachings arise in dependence on many conditions.
While good-knowing advisors want to carry forward the Dharma wholeheartedly,
we, as buddhist practitioners, must pursue and plead for it.
Without vast desire, we can not carry forward the Dharma.
 
 The Master’s Daily Teachings
     --- The Objects to Which You Go for Refuge?
           Dec.19，2017

We don’t know what is to fear,
Only because we don’t know the causations.

We are used to see
All sorts of suffering of the good and miserable realms
 
When being punished,
we seek protections through networks.
What kind of help
will people in the mundane world give us?
 
They solve some of our short-term problems,
and give us some material benefits and spiritual warmth.
That is all.
As for problems of the life itself,
They can’t do much help.
 
 Since problems are beyond the reach of human power,
people look for non-human power, thus they turn
to the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, gods and ghosts,
in order to solve various problems
within day-to-day lives.
That kind of help can last for a short time,
like several decades -- as a common lifespan
After that, what will they do?
 
The Buddha is a holy sage completely free from all afflicitions and sufferings,
with perfect knowledge, with no fear.
But in our real life,
What fears do we have?
What’s the cause of fears?
 
What is Buddha’s teachings？
What help do the Sangha render to us?
As for ourselves,
What kind of efforts is required,
to get on the path of Buddhism?
What level shall we reach?
 
 
If we know that
the driver has poor driving skills,
Or if we notice that
Some car components failed,
we get scared right away,
and fear arises.
 
Because we have no idea of
the three miserable realms,
we don’t know there are still many sufferings (ahead, in miserable realms),
so we are not afraid.
 
Common people don’t know to fear about this.
They are not surprised to see and are used to seeing (all kinds of bad behaviors and subsequent sufferings).
A lot of people in society,
When they have done bad deeds, violating the law,
and facing punishments of the law,
or being sentenced,
or being imprisoned,
they go ask for help through relations and network.
Why is that?
They are seeking for protection,
Aren’t they?
It is the case (of going for refuge).
when all kinds of retributions in this life come along,
The wrongdoer definitely would ask for protection,
and try to get a light sentence;
Or even once sentenced,
they grovel to get an early release.
So in this respect,
it is easy for them to get some feelings of going for refuge.
 
Because we receive retributions afterlife,
We tend to think it still far away,
People won’t think it matters,
and death won’t come so soon.
However, in fact it is not necessarily the case,
death comes unexpectedly and life is impermanent.
 
Therefore if we go seek for protection.
where shall we go?
People in the world
are only able to help us
with some problems at hand.
If we don’t get anything to eat, they offer us food.
If we don’t have clothes, they give us things to wear.
In this way, they help us on the physical plane.
Or when we feel hurt,
they comfort us
and warm our hearts to some extent.  
But that’s all.
 
People often say, “We depend on parents at home
and on friends when outside. ”
(We count on) their help.
But when it comes to the real problems in our life，
They could not do much.
For instance, when we are seriously ill.
or we have to face all entrance examinations
In order to live in society,
or we need to work, to find jobs.
 
We try to get help from network, from one person to another, but it can’t help.
As a last resort, what do they look for?
They turn to Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and gods.
They think that human effort won’t help.
They turn to non-human power.
And just because of this,
many people are associated with the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas,
ghosts and gods.
They are connected with these non-human power,
because they need help and beg these figures for help.
They ask for help in entrance examinations,
In job markets.
By this way,
they can find jobs, etc.
By this way they can solve different, temporary
    problems in their lives.
They just have these needs.
But as to us Buddhists,
we regard these satisfied needs as ephemeral.
Help from others works only for a while.
It won’t last long.
It might last for a few days, a few years,
or at most for twenty or thirty years,
what shall we do after that?
 
In order to really solve the problem of life,
We can only count on religion, on Buddhism.
The Buddha is a holy sage
who is completely free from suffering,
and who has relieved all sufferings.
The Buddha has perfect knowledge, without fear.
With no fear, he has no terror.
With no sense of fear, he is not afraid.
Why the Buddha has no fear?
Because he has relieved from the cycle of life and death,
Being free from afflictions and suffering.
 
In contrast, we, as humans, are afraid.
Before a large audience, or
in front of those who are better at learning and cultivation,
or in front of those who are higher in ranks,
we are afraid.
 
And that is
a very simple kind of fear.
Why is that(we are afraid)?
 
Because we have conception of duality.
But the Buddha is different.
The Buddha has the perfect knowledge
who will not be caught up in those concepts.
As for the teachings, what is the teachings?
The Buddha’s teachings
is the way that leads to the Buddhahood.
And in terms of the Buddha’s path,
The path means that if we practice according to the teachings,
Go forward following the teachings,
and act in accordance with the teachings,
we can attain the Buddhahood.
 
What about the Sangha, the monastics?
They are companions that help us
To attain the Buddhahood together.
They are our Buddhist mates, as the saying goes,”(May) irreversible Bodhisattvas be our fellows”.
They can help us to achieve the Buddhahood.
As for the Sangha,
they practice according to the teachings,
which is taught by the Buddha.
They follow the Buddha to become monks.
So the real protector
is the Buddha.
Heretics have their own protectors,
Such as God, and so on,
These are what adherents of other religions believe in.
As for Buddhism, the Buddha is our protector.
And the teachings, what we mentioned just now,
is the way to Buddhahood,
the way to achieve Nirvana.
So, as far as we are concerned,
what we should do now is to eliminate the karmic hindrances,
toremove the veil of wrong behaviors, and to make confessions.
Various methods and contents of
repentance of wrong doings and accumulation of virtues
are the contents of the teachings.
 
Now, if we want to get rid of
our inner afflictions and karma,
first of all, we must restrain our body and mind.,
and reflect on
all sorts of mistakes, wrongdoings,
and evil thoughts in the past,
so as to keep our inner places clean,
and to get our minds in order,
Only by which can we get on the path.
Otherwise, with a jumbled mind,
how can we practice and cultivate the teachings?
As for monks,
they help us
to reach the Buddhahood
in a safe, quick and right way.
 
Otherwise, on this path to perfect wisdom,
once no one lead the way,
or point the directions,
we are very likely to get lost.
Once we get lost and want to turn round,
it would be too late